It All Starts with Anatomy
by Joker's Assistant
Summary: Kevin and Nazz need some help with classes, and ask Double D to tutor them. However, Kevin shows up a little earlier than expected and requests help with anatomy. Things escalate quickly from there, but where will it leave the two in the end? Will something be able to come between them?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any characters and while the story-line is mine, everything else belongs to its respectful owner.

Okay, now that the formalities are out of the way, I would like to tell you all that this is my first fanfic ever putting online for everyone to real and I really appreciate those of you who read it!

There is some M rated material in this chapter so skip it if it displeases you so.

Reviews are very welcome. Thank you and enjoy! :)

"Yo, Double Dweeb," Edd heard echo from behind him in the school hallways. He hesitantly turned around to face the auburn haired boy with a red baseball cap that always covered his head. At Kevin's sides were Nazz and Rolf. Nazz looked as nice and ever and Rolf appeared to be as strange as he always was, his grin that rarely left his face still fixed in place.

However, Double D kept his eyes focused on the one that had called his "name" and smiled hesitantly but warmly.

"Good afternoon, Kevin, Nazz, Rolf," he greeted, looking to each of them as he acknowledged the greeting. "How may I assist you?" he continued, smiling, the gap in his teeth showing.

"Like, we kind of need some help on the homework, Dude," Nazz said before Kevin could spit out the words.

Rolf seemed to be appalled and made it very clear, after a long and drawn out story about his homeland, that he didn't need the help; it was just the blonde and the star football player.

After sighing in slight frustration, Edd smiled again and nodded. "Sounds splendid. I could always accompany you two to the library after school if that would work in your favors," he suggested. He was so frustrated that he could never seem to turn anyone down. Let alone people he knew personally and had to face on a daily basis. Then again, he really enjoyed school and teaching - the thought of people gaining from his own knowledge left him feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Kevin grumbled and glared at Double D. "Hey, Dork, unlike you, I actually have a life after school. We'll be coming to your place tonight," he ordered, getting his face just centimeters away from Edd's face, towering over him and attempting to intimidate him. However, his little intimidation technique didn't work out as well as he had planned for it to.

With yet another sigh, he stepped back from Kevin's closeness and nodded. "Splendid. Don't fret yourselves over the time. Any time shall work." After getting a confirming nod from Kevin he turned away and strode his way to his locker. As he put in the combination very particularly and precisely, he smiled in relief at the sight that beheld him. All his pencils were in a neat order and all his books were organized by class period along with some other accessories in his locker that he always kept handy in case he ever needed them. It was always better to be safe than sorry!

After shutting his locker, Edd nearly jumped out of his shoes as he saw Kevin standing there, leaning against the locker that was next to his, staring intently at him.

"Oh, Kevin," Eddward began, his voice shaking a bit. "Is there something troubling you, perhaps?" Rather than a sure answer, he was responded to with a glare, shrug, and a shaking of his head.

"See you tonight," he muttered under his breath, a touch of frustration stinging his voice as he left a bewildered Eddward standing in front of his locker.

Rather than hanging himself up on it, he shrugged his shoulders and rested his messenger bag on his shoulder, holding the strap where it crossed over his chest. He pasted yet another smile on his face as he left to his fourth period class for the day. It was possibly his most favorite, and that was AP Chemistry. He loved the sciences, they were so splendid to learn about – they enlightened a person as to how the world around them, which they lived in and needed to survive, worked and broke it down into the words that man could understand and work with.

He made his way to the class, the teacher, Mr. Wiser, offering him a wonderfully pleasant and warm smile. In return, he offered him a smile, his lips pursed as he took his seat at the very front. He intertwined his fingers together as he placed them on his desk, awaiting the teacher to continue class. As his voice boomed through the classroom, his mind raced, Mr. Wiser going on about the newest in Stoichiometry and all the rules and equations that came with such.

For high school, he felt however, that these classes were too trivial. While he felt that way, he knew that there was almost no other child in the school whom thought the same as himself. He often was separate from everyone else. The only people he ever really fit in with was Ed and Eddy. Ah, Ed and Eddy. He really did care deeply for them; they had been through nearly everything together and never once had they ever turned their back on the other. They were really his best friends, even if they did irritate him to no end some days.

He got carried away in his thoughts about his friends as he began to reminisce about the old day in the cul-de-saq. Eddy had always seemed to have some sort of scheme to use on the rest of the neighborhood kids in order to get money for jaw breakers. When he really thought about it, it was quite the comical case. Not that Ed had changed much, however. While Eddy had seemed to outgrow his constant need to pull some mindless prank, Ed was still obsessed with his monster movies, gravy, and buttered toast. Classic Ed.

As the bell dismissing him from class tolled, his head shot up to the clock in surprise. Had he really been that deep into thought that he didn't even know the bell had rung? He usually never spaced out, but it wasn't like he didn't already know the material they were going over in class. With no homework, much to the little nerd's disappointment, he sauntered out of class and to his final class of the day. His final class was Algebra II with most of the neighborhood. There was Nazz, Rolf and Kevin all grouped together in the back corner of the room. There was Ed and Eddy in the center of the room, conversing over some horror movie that Ed had watched the night before, Eddy flipping open his cell phone to check for a text message and drown out Ed. In another section of the room was the Kanker sisters, Marie Kanker staring at him intensely as he took a seat near his best friends. A shudder ran through his body as he cowered away from her stare.

"Salutations, Dear Fellows!" Double D chimed, taking a seat next to Ed and Eddy, awaiting the final bell to ring. He was greeted with a hug from Ed and a glare from Eddy. "Is something the matter, Eddy?"

"Nope," he responded, puzzling the little nerd. Rather than persisting, he heard the bell ring and focused his attention to the front of the classroom. In doing so, he took note of the substitute at the front of the classroom. Rather than the typical ancient male that hunched his way into the room, there was a beautiful, petit young blonde standing at the front. She had a very square jawline with prominent cheekbones. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, much like Double D's, and her thick, natural lashes hung over her eyes like velvet curtains. As she took a seat on her desk, crossing her legs in her pencil skirt, her large chest becoming more prominent, she spoke in a loud, yet chipper voice. "Good morning, class. Unfortunately, your teacher is currently very ill and won't be back for a couple weeks." She began to take out a sheet of paper from a notebook next to her side, grabbing a pen while she was at it, before continuing, "I'll be your substitute until his return. Now, my name is Ms. Rarie and I am going to take roll, then we'll begin the lesson plan set up for today."

As she moved down the list to call each student's name, only missing two students, she glanced up at each and every one, making each raise their hand. Almost every male in the classroom – and even some of the women – were watching her intently. She was an image of pure beauty, oozing sex appeal, but Eddward seemed to be uninterested, glancing around the room as she continued on with roll. Ed and Eddy were both staring at her, along with Rolf. Nazz on the other hand was glaring at her harshly. There was only one other person in the room who seemed as uninterested as himself. Kevin was looking down at his desk, a pen in hand as he doodled on the wooden surface, glancing up only every so often. In one instance that he glanced up, he locked eyes with Double D who looked away frantically.

It wasn't that he was particularly scared of Kevin; it was just that he had always been their bully when they were in middle school. It could be assumed that it was perhaps and innate fear that he may beat him up again, even though he highly doubted it. They were in their senior year of high school and he hadn't laid a hand on him, after all. With the comforting thought, he made himself relax partially. Just then, Ms. Rarie called him and he raised his hand, her eyes meeting his as she looked up from the paper. After two other students, she was done and asked Double D to take the attendance down to the main office.

He wasn't particularly too keen on missing class, but he wasn't the type to turn down a teacher so he reluctantly got up out of his seat and sauntered to the front. He grabbed the paper from her hands and rushed as quickly as he could to the front office and handed the attendance clerk the sheet. He rushed back once again. Most eyes were drawn to him as he took his seat again; feeling the sensation that one person in particular was staring at him. Rather than turning around to confirm it, he focused on the substitute teacher and began copying the words that appeared on the screen in front of the class. After several example problems and a homework assignment that he had finished up in class, the bell rang, dismissing the school to do as they pleased for the rest of the day.

Ed, Eddy and Double D all walked out of the school after stopping at Double D's locker so he could collect the various text books that he needed for his various homework assignments, leaving his AP Chemistry one in its place.

Eddy seemed to still have that distraught look on his face so, without lack of fear of failing yet again, Edd asked, "Are you positive there is nothing the matter, Eddy?"

After another glare, he grumbled and finally said, "Just remembering the old days. Y'know, back when we had fun. And here in just a couple months, we're going to be all moving away and…" He paused, seemingly unable to continue before Edd had coaxed it out of him. Rather harshly he bit off, "I'm going to miss you knuckleheads, alright?"

Ed made an obnoxious aw and gathered the other two into a group hug, holding the two up with ease. "It's okay, Eddy, we will miss you as well." He had a large and silly grin on his face that was nearly impossible not to cheer someone up with.

Edd giggled. "There's no need to worry so much, Eddy. I'll still be coming back home to visit Mother and Father during the summers."

That answer seemed to slightly relax Eddy. "Yeah, same here." He glanced up at Ed who was still holding the two and struggled to get free, shouting profanities at the less than bright boy who eventually set the two back on the ground.

After some more mindless conversation about nothing in particular, Edd finally made it to his home and, after grabbing the key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door. He was greeted by only silence as he walked upstairs to his room to set his bag down, remembering his parents weren't home – as usual. As he opened the door, he couldn't help but smile in relief. His room had always been so very pristine and well-organized. Everything was labeled and put away neatly. His floor was exceptionally neat, with not even a speck of dirt to be found. He set his bag on a hook that had the label "Backpack" just above it and walked down stairs, ready to get a small snack that consisted of fruit.

After reaching downstairs, he paused, realizing there was something off about the setting. Something was amiss, and that wasn't something he would exactly stay calm about. Instead of ignoring what his senses were warning him about, he set down the orange he had picked up only moments ago and made his way to the living room. When he made his way to the office in the house, the closest room to the kitchen, and found nothing, he began to make his way to the living room area.

"I've been waiting forever," a male voice grumbled from the couch pushed against the wall.

Double D knew that voice all too well and that just set him even more on edge. He stopped in front of the coffee table that the man had his feet on, forgetting for a millisecond his fear of filthiness. Rather than asking who it was, he shoved the person's feet off the table and scolded them for their terrible manners.

The man chuckled. "You're such a freak, Double Dweeb."

The nickname confirmed his suspicion and he took a step away. "K-Kevin…" He stumbled over his name before getting the rest of his sentence out. "W-what are you doing here already? I had assumed you would be showing up with Nazz much later in the day."

Kevin had moved so that he was just in front of Double D, only a few inches from him. Edd was extremely nervous and kept his gaze focused downward as he spoke. "You said show up whenever, didn't you? So, that's what I did."

Double D fumbled with his hands for a moment. "B-be that as it may, Kevin, you said-"

"Yeah, yeah, 'I got a life unlike you.'" He left his spot in front of Double D and sauntered through the house until he made his way to the kitchen, opening up the refrigerator and browsing it for a painfully long time.

Double D had followed and when he got to the kitchen he noticed that Kevin was leaving the refrigerator door slightly ajar while he moved to a stool at the island, a soda can in his hand. "P-Please be wary of the refrigerator door, if you would. It raises the electrical bill." Double D finally looked Kevin in the eyes for a split second before looking away again and focusing his attention on any other fixture in the kitchen. "Um, since you're here… Shall we start on studying?"

Double D was so confused as to why Kevin was at his place so early it wasn't even funny. It was rare for Double D to be alone with Kevin. It hadn't really happened the entire time they were together in high school. However, rather than a reply from Kevin pertaining to his question, he was up and out of his chair, going right towards Double D again. He left only a few inches between them again, staring intently at Double D who was focusing his gaze downward again.

Kevin grabbed his chin and tilted his head upwards to look at him. Double D's heart began racing, his rational senses coming to an end. He did nothing but stare into the bright green eyes that peered into his own blue. Just as he thought he might do something more, he let go of his chin and left to retrieve his bag from the living room.

"Where should we go?" he asked, appearing from the office, his bag slung over his shoulder.

Double D closed his eyes for a moment and put his smile back on his face, ignoring Kevin's previous actions and pondering the best place to study. "Perhaps my room. I have a large desk in there we could always work on," he suggested, pointing to the stairs.

Kevin nodded and began walking up the stairs after chugging his soda in a matter of seconds, Double D following silently behind. The situation was painfully awkward for Edd. "It's the one labeled 'Eddward.'"

Kevin chuckled. "Dork," he muttered under his breath before opening the door. He was about to walk into his room when he heard a squeal come from Edd. "What?" he asked as he looked back, Edd glaring at his feet.

"I do not allow shoes in my room, let alone in in any other area of the house," he grumbled, waiting for Kevin to take off his shoes.

Kevin was about to just shrug it off and keep his shoes on, but the little nerd looked like his head was about to burst. As funny as it was, he sighed and kicked his shoes off lazily, not caring where or how they landed.

Eddward, on the other hand, felt the need to pick up his shoes and place them neatly by his door on a small mat. _How can someone be so unsanitary?_ He wondered, stepping into his room and grabbing his backpack off of its hook. Kevin had already made himself comfortable in Double D's desk chair, propping one foot on the legs below it. Edd couldn't help but sigh at his uncaring attitude. After sitting down next to him in an extra chair, he asked Kevin, "what class do you need help with?"

His reply was quick and absolute as he said, "anatomy." Eddward had experience with the class his junior year, but he knew that it was an honors class, making him wonder even more why Kevin was in the class. Rather than prying, he simply nodded and grabbed some paper from his desk drawer.

"Splendid," Edd responded. "What system are you currently studying?"

"The skeletal system. I really suck at the class; memorizing isn't my strongest ability," he admitted sheepishly. It was the first time since he'd been over that he'd said a full and intelligible sentence that didn't end the conversation there.

Eddward's face lit up as he smiled and he nodded. "That's simple enough! I enjoyed memorizing the skeletal system. There's so many little tricks that can be used to remember the bones that you might like," he said excitedly. He loved this so much. He loved teaching and giving to others his plethora of knowledge.

Kevin did nothing but give him a bewildered look. He didn't understand what was so great about tutoring someone. He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling and asked, "Do you want to be a teacher?"

Eddward responded after a moment of silence, thinking. "No, not particularly. While I enjoy teaching and sharing my knowledge, that's the extent of it." His voice trailed out at the end and he looked at Kevin who was still looking at the ceiling, his only response a 'hmph'. He noticed how muscular his neck was as the muscles were stretched while he looked up. He also noticed how square his jaw was now and how much more defined his cheek bones were more prominent now. He had definitely changed from when they were all in middle school. His hair had even grown out some, though he still had some longer strands in the front of his head like always. It always annoyed Edd; it seemed so untidy and like such a nuisance.

He was snapped out of his train of thought by Kevin suddenly sitting forward, slapping his hands on the desk in front of him. "''Kay, let's hurry up." He looked to Double D, waiting for him to realize he was waiting for him to start his "lesson."

Double D took a moment to realize what Kevin was waiting for and began to fidget with his fingers again, stumbling all over his words. "W-well, okay. L-let's see," he said, staring at Kevin's body for a second. After a moment, he beckoned him to stand up and to take of his jacket and hat. Under his jacket was a green tank top that fit tightly against his torso. This would make his lesson much easier if it worked out as planned. "Please extend your arms out and spread your legs about shoulder width apart," Double D commanded, a smile permanently fixed on his face.

Kevin did as he was told. "You're demanding a lot," he pointed out.

"I am the teacher. May I ask what else a teacher is supposed to do?" He was beginning to trace his fingers along Kevin's arm.

"Ask his students politely?" He shuddered as Double D ran a finger over his torso, focusing especially on his chest and the bones lying under the skin. "And not touch their students so much?"

Double D withdrew his hands quickly at the comment, his cheeks flushing a crimson red. "Pardon me. I was just trying to make this a more efficient way for you to obtain-" he was cut off once again by Kevin who was now glaring at him.

"Look, Double Dweeb, it's chill. Take a joke," he growled. "I'm not going to kill you so stop cowering away from me like I'm some crazy monster."

Double D nodded and resumed tracing his fingers. After running through all the bones in his head once again as he passed over each one, he began to speak about the bones themselves. "Alright, now, starting from your chest and working our way out, there's the sternum. It's more commonly known as the breast bone," he traced a line over his chest, right down the center where the bone lie. He moved his fingers up his chest and to the bones at the base of his neck, both hands tracing the long bone that moved outwards towards the shoulders. "This is the clavicle – collar bone."

Kevin shuddered again under his feather-light touch and nodded stiffly. "Alright," he said, his voice husky.

Double D kept moving his fingers out and to his upper arms. "This is the humerus and further down, is the ulna and the radius." He looked up at Kevin and smiled at his confusion. "There's a trick to remembering these two." Without warning, he jumped away from Kevin and held out his arms in front of him. He then turned his arm so that his palm was facing down. "You see, when your arms are like this, the radius and the ulna cross over." He paused trying to think of how to word it. "Almost as if making an 'x' in your arm."

He then held his hand out, palm facing the ceiling. "When your arm is like this, however, the bones are adjacent to one another; like railroads." He held his thumb up then. "Because of this crossing, it's facile to befuddle which is which. However, there's a simple trick to remembering. Your radius will always be where your thumb is. Just remember 'right on radius' and you should be fine."

After his little rant that earned a chuckle from Kevin, he returned to his position and began lightly touching his skin again. He got to the wrist, touching each with his own hands, though having some trouble due to how much larger Kevin was compared to himself. "Due to the fact that there's eight bones in the wrist, they are usually summed up as the carpus, while your fingers are called metacarpi."

It wasn't until he got to his back again that he realized just how muscular Kevin was. He definitely had the build of an athlete who had spent many years playing football and baseball. With his arms extended out, the latissimus dorsi was stretched magnificently under his skin, almost irresistible to touch.

"Dork?"

Edd shook his head. "My apologies, Kevin. I must have spaced out." Edd rested his finger on Kevin's back, noting the stiffening of the muscles as he did so. _Is he ticklish, perhaps? _he wondered. He started at the top of the spine and began to work his way down his back, sending chills though the larger teen's body. "The top seven bones of the spine are referred to as the cervical vertebra with the exception of the first two, which are called the atlas and the axis." He coasted his fingers further down his back to the center. "The next twelve are the thoracic vertebra and," he moved his hands down to the base of his back, just above the buttocks. "The following five are the lumbar vertebra and the one just below that is your coccyx. It's often referred to as your tailbone." Each movement of his earned him a tremble and he realized something was a bit off with Kevin. He returned to face him, noticing his slightly pink cheeks, he asked him, "Are you alright, Kevin?"

With a stiff nod he responded. "Yeah, fine." He wasn't looking at Double D. In fact, it seemed he was avoiding looking at him at all costs.

"We can always continue tomorrow… Besides, Nazz-" once again he was cut off by Kevin.

"I said it's cool. Keep going," he muttered, his face slightly deepening in color.

Edd nodded and placed his hands on Kevin once more. He began guiding him through what he was doing, going over the various bones in the skull such as the frontal bone, the temporal bone, and the hyoid. He even explained why the hyoid was unique with the fact that it was the only bone in the human body that did not connect to another one. He was working his way down after explaining the different types of ribs. He got to the pelvis and attempted to explain the three different bones there. "Here, there's three different major bones in the pelvis. At the top, there's the illium. Towards the rear is the ischium and-" He was forced to stop his advancement towards Kevin's thigh when he grabbed his hand.

His voice was low as he spoke. "That's dangerous." All he was answered with was a blank and confused expression. "You don't get it, do you?" The response this time was Edd shaking his head. "Let me help you then."

Edd was shocked as their lips met harshly. Their lips molded together perfectly. Kevin began nibbling at his lower lip, earning a sound of pleasure from Edd.

Edd wasn't pulling away; he couldn't bring himself to. In some strange part of his conscious, he enjoyed it, and he knew it.

Kevin ran his tongue across Edd's lip, and the smaller teen obliged, letting out a small gasp as he granted him access. His tongue invaded his mouth, running across the roof of his mouth, exploring to no end. Being the inexperienced kisser that he was, Edd tried to follow along with Kevin, finding it easier than he expected. He felt as if he was being devoured by the taller teen. There was an urgency in his kiss that stirred something in his abdomen.

He was completely engrossed in the act as they continued. Kevin's hand had slid up the boy's shirt, exploring the soft skin that lied beneath it. It was smooth, almost like a girl's. It all the more added to Kevin's pleasure as he grabbed the small boy's erect nipple and pinched it, his other hand focused on holding the boy close to him. In doing this, Edd let out a squeak through the kiss. He tried to speak, but Kevin dismissed it with the kiss.

They continued like this until Kevin began to move his hand lower. He pulled at the younger boys pants, attempting to undo the button and the zipper with his one hand. After a momentary battle, he began to slip his hands down until Edd pulled away as best he could with Kevin's hand still on his back. "W-what on earth are you doing!?" he exclaimed, attempting to push Kevin away with his scrawny arms. To no avail, he simply pushed against his chest, Kevin still managing to bring him closer with a devilish smirk on his face. "Y-you can't, p-please stop!"

For a moment, it seemed that Kevin had listened and was going to leave him alone. That is, until he hoisted the small boy up in his arms and carried him over to the bed, setting him down a little less than gently. "I don't plan on stopping here," he stated, sliding his hands up Edd's thigh as he crawled on top of him. Edd squirmed under his touch, attempting to escape once again. After his struggling got him nowhere, he gave up, lying limp as Kevin made his way into his undone pants.

Double D shuddered under his touch as he freed him and began pumping the small boy. He started out slow, sliding his finger across the tip and rubbing along his length. Edd bit on his finger, muffling the squeaks that attempted to escape.

"Let it out, babe," Kevin muttered as he sped up his hand. Edd began to writhe under him, bucking his hips up to meet Kevin's hand. He let out a high pitched moan, surprising and exciting Kevin all the more.

"K-Kevin," he whispered through his sounds of pleasure. He was at a loss; he hadn't experienced a sensation such as this before. It was intoxicating; each and every nerve coming to life, labored breaths mingling together, the intimate contact that followed; it was all so amazing. Edd was in such pure bliss as his thoughts clouded his head.

Kevin focused intently on the boy's reactions, stealing kisses from him once in a while, taking note of his reactions. He took note of Edd's glazed eyes, his shimmering lips from the saliva and the expression on his face as he moaned.

Edd began to shudder, curling his toes as he came. He laid there as Kevin pulled away slowly, his body trembling lightly with the after effects. He stared up at the ceiling as Kevin went and cleaned his hand with a Kleenex before helping Edd.

Kevin planted another kiss on his lips, this time gentler, more sincere and somehow more passionate. He pulled away again, Edd finally sitting up and realizing the mess he had become. To an average person, it wouldn't have been something to fret too much about, but the clean freak in him demanded on changing.

Without saying anything, he beckoned Kevin to leave his room, closing the door behind him. Edd began shuffling around for a change of… everything. He wasn't sure how to process what had just happened. He knew that it was pleasurable, but something in him argued that it was _Kevin_ of all people – his childhood bully. He ran back and forth in his head why he might have done it while he slipped on the fresh change of clean clothes. Was it simply curiosity? _But he would've gone further, then, right?_ he questioned. That nearly dismissed that theory, though it was still a slight consideration. _Maybe it's affection? _The thought, much to Edd's surprise, made him giggle. Kevin was his bully after all, so that wasn't even a possibility. _I should-_

"You alright in there, dork?" Kevin sounded through the door, his voice loud and full. He began to turn the knob, opening the door without so much as a response.

Edd looked down to the floor as Kevin came in and nodded. "Yes, perfectly fine, Kevin."

What did this mean for the two of them? Were they still just going to play the role of the nerd and the jock? Was it ever even going to be mentioned again?

Edd heaved a sigh and walked past Kevin and down the stairs to the kitchen. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized that a couple hours had passed and the odds were Nazz was to show up soon. However, Edd had already taught Kevin the material he needed to study for the most part, so what was he going to do while Edd and Nazz went over her work? Perhaps he would sit there and wait patiently for them to finish.

Quite contrary to Edd's thought, Kevin came down the stairs with his bag slung over his shoulder, his hat and jacket back in place, heading for the door.

Edd froze, unsure of what to do. Was he really just going to leave? "K-Kevin," he stuttered. "Where… are you going?"

Kevin gave him a blank stare and shrugged. "Home. Where else?" He placed his hand on the door knob, turning it to open the door. "See you later, dorko."

As he was walking out, Edd lunged at the taller teen and grabbed onto the bottom of his jacket with as strong a grip as he could muster. "Would you answer a question I have, first?" In response to Kevin's stiff nod, he asked, "what did you mean by 'I don't get it'? Was it just your hormone levels rising at an usually high rate due to our close proximity, or was it perhaps-"

Once again, Kevin had cut him off, silencing him with another gentle and short kiss. "You're the smart one, you figure it out." With that, he left, closing the door behind him.

Edd could hear the faint sound of voices outside his door, realizing that Kevin must have met Nazz on the way. He heard something about rescheduling for tomorrow and at that, Edd sank onto a bar stool at the island in the kitchen, submerging himself into thought. An idea struck him however and he froze. _Does Kevin perhaps possess romantic feelings for me?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to their respectful owners, blah, blah, blah.

This was a very complicated chapter for me to write, but I really like the outcome. So, to everyone who followed and favorited this, THANK YOU. I love you guys. ; w ;

Kari, , and MsEtoile: Thank you guys so much for your reviews! They helped motivate me to keep me going on this chapter! So, as you all requested, here it is continued! I hope you guys enjoy!

And to the rest of you, please enjoy as well!

His eyes opened to the sound of shuffling about in the level below him. With reluctance and sleepiness in his eyes, he sat up, willing himself out of bed. The sound of people moving about took him off guard for a split second. He still hadn't become fully accustomed to living on his own in the dorms of the college. He had grown so used to his mother and father never being home that he hadn't had the chance to get used to living with others around him.

Edd had gotten a scholarship to Stanford University and was currently studying to be a transhumanist while also majoring in biology. It had been seven months since he was last at Peach Creek. It felt as though it had been so much longer, though. Edd had made few friends, and he was now considered only slightly above average on the intellectual scale, just enough to get him into the college without a sweat. But there had been so many things he realized he needed to make a change for.

He truly did love his friends in the cul-de-sac – even though that was a very limited list to two people – but he couldn't bring himself to pass up an opportunity to attend one of the most prestigious scientific colleges in the United States on a full-ride scholarship. It was now that he finally got away from the incessant loneliness that filled his previous home and from the life that had managed to plague him in his last two months of school.

In the last two months before summer vacation, everything had managed to spiral out of control. After the event with Kevin, Edd became confused and frankly, quite scared. He hadn't been sure how to process anything anymore and had ended up avoiding him at all costs, afraid of repeating the scenario that had happened in his room once before. He hadn't understood his feelings with the situation, and for what felt like the first time, he was unable to solve a problem on his own. The only way the problem would have been solved was if he had confronted Kevin himself but, even though Kevin had tried to approach him on several separate occasions, he couldn't bring himself to face him.

After realizing that Edd had lost himself in thought, he shook his head rather fiercely and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. His cyan eyes widened as he noticed that it had already been twenty minutes since he had woken up, and he had yet to take a shower even. With quick movements, he set out the clothes he was going to wear for his final day before winter break. The outfit consisted of a long-sleeve button up shirt and his typical winter sweater, with some jeans that actually suited the small boy. After his hot shower and scrubbing himself with his signature loofah, he got out and quickly changed into his outfit, lacing up his black and white converse and sliding on his hat. He hurried himself out the door, grabbing his messenger bag and making his way to class.

Throughout the lecture, Edd took several notes and answered the questions that the professor thrust upon him. He repeated this in his following classes for the school day that soon came to an end. As he was dismissed from the final class, he sauntered his way to the dorm room, the realization that he was to go back to the one place he had tried so hard to escape for so long hitting him as he opened the door to his room. He was deep into his own thoughts of regret until he noticed just how dark his thoughts were going. He wasn't the type to stay negative; he was always the optimist in nearly every situation. For him to be so down in this one situation was simply unacceptable!_ The odds are I will be reuniting with my cherished childhood friends once more,_ he encouraged himself, smiling at the thought of seeing Eddy and Ed again. He had truly missed them more than anyone else in the cul-de-sac. They had always been there before for one another, and yet, he had left, leaving the two behind with nothing but each other and a cell phone number of his. Was that cruel of him? It wasn't his fault after all. Things had just become very confusing for the small lad.

With the hopes that he would see his friends again, he optimistically stepped foot into his room, gathering three weeks of clothing for the long break. Oh, three weeks would be pleasant. He had worked so hard since coming to college; it was going to be nice to simply take a break and relax save for the small project he had to do for one of his classes based on the nervous and muscular system.

As the last of his items were stowed away in the last of two suitcases and a backpack, struggling slightly with the heavy luggage, he left the room for his small Honda parked out front in the parking lot. Double D never had particularly cared about a vehicle, nor a driver's license for that matter, but his parents had insisted considering he was moving an hour away. He had protested, but his attempts were in vain. However, he realized that the little car had turned out to be quite useful. It helped him when he needed to do his minor shopping, or when he needed to get to the other side of town in a short amount of time.

After loading the last of his luggage into the trunk of the car and stowing his backpack in the back seat, he began the short yet long trek to Peach Creek.

* * *

It was a little after six o' clock when Edd finally arrived at his parent's house. He pulled his blue Honda into the empty driveway, not even bothering to park in the garage as he saw it pointless. He stepped out, grabbing his bag from the back seat and pulling the tab to open the trunk, before closing the car door. He grabbed one of the two suitcases, figuring it was futile to strain himself with both suitcases when the house was right before him. Rather, he hurried himself to the front, grabbing the spare key that was always hidden under a door mat and unlocking the door to escape the cool winter weather.

As he pried open the door, he sighed in relief at the familiarity that the home brought him. It still smelled, looked, and _felt_ the same. It wasn't a small dorm room that was often rowdy and bothersome or a school campus that was constantly over-crowded. There was only a serene silence that enveloped him. It was so marvelous he just stood there smiling for a moment. After his mind had absorbed it all again, he took a step into the house, closing the door behind him as he dragged his suitcase and bag up to his old bedroom.

Nothing much had changed about his room since he had last been home. He had the same bed that he had upgraded to in high school that was now a comfortable full size; he had the same desk and chair; and he even had the same accessories on his walls. The only things missing were his ants and his cactus, Jim. Jim, however, was at his dorm room back in Stanford while the ants had been set free just before moving. He had insisted on taking them with him, but the college would have no such thing.

Edd set down the two bags neatly, hanging the backpack on a hook labeled "Backpack", and walked back outside, opening the door to the brisk, cool air that greeted him. He stepped outside, thankful that there still wasn't any snow on the ground. From previous years in Peach Creek, he knew that there should be at least a fairly thick layer of snow rather than a thin, icy layer, but in his current attire of a sweater, jeans, and converse, he was in no position to argue. Rather, he figured he would simply hurry himself to the car and grab his last suitcase before the cold air got cooler. In doing so, he ended up slipping on some ice and with a harsh crash, he hit the pavement head first. This was just his luck. Another wonderful experience to add to the Peach Creek list.

* * *

A throbbing sensation in his temples was all that alerted him to open his eyes and sit up, an action that he instantly regretted. With a frustrated groan, he laid himself back down on the soft surface, covering his eyes with his hand. He focused on recalling what had happened and why he had suddenly been asleep. It took him a moment before he remembered slipping on the slightly icy ground. His clumsiness made him groan in disbelief once again.

Then it occurred to him. Why was he inside? He could tell he was on the sofa in his living room because of the smell of the house and the texture of the sofa he had spent much of his childhood on. Had his mother and father come home? They had known he was going to be showing up today. _Perhaps-_

His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of shuffling feet in the kitchen and he willed his eyes to open to the dim light of the living room. He sighed as his head throbbed in response and finally, forced himself to sit up with the assistance of the back of the sofa.

With weak legs and a pounding head, he stood, making his way to the kitchen through the office. _The construction of this house still manages to baffle me,_ Edd thought, amusing himself with his thoughts as he rounded the corner.

As he entered the kitchen, his lips parted slightly at the sight and he just stood in amazement. There, rummaging through the refrigerator, was none other than his mother, dressed in a decorative apron with flowers and a relieved smile on her face. She set the milk that she was in the middle of pulling out back in the refrigerator and quickly rushed over to her son. She placed her hands on his shoulders, staring straight at his eyes, a task that was simple as they were about the same height with Edd being only 5'5". It took him a moment to realize that she was studying his pupils to see if they were dilated or not. Then she breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped back once more.

"I apologize, Eddward," she said. "We came home and saw you lying on the snowy ground and became frantic." She played with her hands. It had been seven months since they had talked since they had lost the ability to use sticky notes after moving. "I was worried you possibly had a concussion," she faded, glancing at her son with her green eyes.

Edd smiled genuinely at his mother's concern and shook his head, wincing slightly at the pain that radiated with the action. "I am well, Mother. Don't fret." He let his breath out and sighed. "Though, some ibuprofen would be pleasant if that's alright." In response to his mother's nod, he walked over to the cupboard that the medication was usually stored in and grabbed himself the recommended dose of two pills. After getting water and quickly taking the pills in hopes of relief, he looked awkwardly at his mother for a moment before speaking.

"You look well, Mother." Her long, raven black hair whirled about her face as she looked at him in shock before smiling and thanking him. She was a beautiful woman, really. Edd had gotten his black hair from his mother while inheriting the striking blue eyes from his father. Along with her hair, he had also gotten her small stature, smooth skin, and slightly feminine body from her. He would be very pleased if he were a daughter rather than a son. However, this was something that he had grown very used to throughout his nineteen years of life.

"Would you like something to eat?" his mother asked him.

Edd realized that he was quite hungry, but he wondered how long he had been passed out on the sofa and if it was almost too late to eat. "May I inquire what time it is?" When his mother responded with 10:46 at night his eyes opened wide and he sighed in frustration. His father was probably already asleep, and it was a mystery as to why his mother was awake at this hour. He had really hoped he could have had this day to relax at home until his parents came home after promising they would for his homecoming.

Remembering her inquiry about food and dragging himself out of his own thoughts, he responded, "That's quite late. But no, I believe I will have to decline dinner for the night. Though I do appreciate it, Mother." He gave her a hug, something he hadn't been able to do for months now. It was nice, though different because of his slight – very slight – growth spurt he had experienced over the seven months he had been on his own. It wasn't something he often did before either, but he really felt the need to give her one after all this time.

He stepped back and looked at her sleep-deprived eyes. "You really should be in bed, Mother. I'll be fine," he reassured her, reading the worry that was apparent on her face. "You still have work tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes, I always have work, Eddward. You know that," she said, giving him a bewildered look, almost as if she had completely forgotten that he had been gone for over half a year. The realization hit her, visible on her face and she gave him a weak smile. "Alright, then. I shall head off to bed, then. I most likely will not see you in the morning, so do as you would like until your father and I arrive."

Edd nodded and rushed her off to bed, taking her apron from her and hanging it on a rack in the kitchen. "Good night, Mother." He truly loved his parents, and it comforted him that he had gotten to talk to his mother like that again. There weren't many memories he had of his parents; they had always been working and there wasn't as much time for him as he would have liked. In all honesty, the ordeal with his parents as a child made him very depressed as he dwelled on it. They had never communicated much with him other than the sticky notes that he would always fold neatly before discarding. But he did know that they loved him just as much as he loved them. He had understood that their work was a very high priority considering it was what provided him with the house he had become so accustom to in the cul-de-sac.

He hadn't realized how much he had dove into his own head and his thoughts until he looked at the clock on the stove and saw that he had been standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter for another twenty minutes. He slumped his shoulders and looked about the kitchen. After hitting his head and sleeping, he honestly wasn't all that tired. He was actually quite awake and alert of everything.

He glanced out the window of the kitchen just above the sink and stared intently for a moment. _Is it really a good idea to go back out into worse conditions than that which nearly gave me a concussion? _Contrary to his own concern though, he shrugged his shoulders and decided on going outside for a walk.

After searching for his coat and eventually finding it in one of his suitcases, realizing his parents must have brought in the second one while he was passed out, he slipped his arms into the large orange jacket. He also grabbed a scarf, bracing himself for the cold that awaited him outside. It was mid-December and the weather definitely reminded him of the fact as he stepped out into the near-midnight brisk air.

He made his way to the forest across the street, passing the rest of the houses in the cul-de-sac and cutting in between what he remembered being Kevin's house and Nazz's house. After he stepped out of the short grass that was the sign of a well-kept yard, he breathed in the fresh air. The forest hadn't changed, much like the cul-de-sac. There were minute differences in each – the trees that had lost their leaves and the homes that had lost their child occupants. The branches that seemed much duller, much like the dark windows of the children's rooms that now only reflected the dark night outside. There was an abundance of sounds from the forest, however; there was the hoot of an owl somewhere and the scurry of what sounded like a squirrel that shouldn't be out in the current weather; there was the rushing of the creek that ran through the forest, a calming and pleasant rush of water that could calm even the most shocked of nerves.

Edd breathed in the familiar air once more, sighing in contempt as the sweet air blew out in a white cloud from him. He held up his ungloved hands to his mouth, breathing into them as his nose became redder with the warmth of his peppermint breath. He smiled slightly as he looked up, taking in the sight of the forest's sky once again. He had only been gone for seven months, but it felt as though he had been gone for years. The sight of the stars that sparkling in the midnight sky was refreshing and comforting. He found himself walking again through the trees and eventually, found a log to sit on that hadn't been too wet.

As he sat down, his eyes only briefly looked away from the sky. He began to realize the constellations in the sky and found himself making an amusing observation. _Everything is made up of debris from the big bang so, in that aspect that would mean that each and every person in the world is made of the very stars dust that began life. This meaning that every person and organism in the world is, in some strange way, made up of stars. _He giggled at his own thoughts. _Even the weak and the strong; even the short, or the tall; even the nerds and the jocks. We are all connected… _He hadn't intended to go so far into depth with his thoughts. It was just something that he had come to the conclusion of in the mind of his that rarely every shut off.

He stayed like that for a while, simply gazing at the stars in fascination, every once in a while looking down at the moonlit forest and the creek that ran by. He listened to the wind of the night and the rushing of the water. He tuned into the sound of the creek, allowing the sound to engulf him in relaxation until he heard something different. The new sound wasn't the quick scurry of an animal, nor was it the flapping of an owl's wings. No, this was the sound of footsteps trudging heavily on the snow covered forest floor. It wouldn't have caught Edd so off guard had it not been for the time of night that was now far past midnight.

Who could have been arriving in the forest so late? Not that he had much room to speak on the matter, but it still wasn't particularly normal. Rather than moving away from the sound, Edd stayed there on the log, peering now into the dimply lit trees where the sound was coming from. After what seemed like forever, he finally saw the outline of a person. They were tall and slender, definitely a male with a masculine physique. Gazing into the darkness, Edd finally realized who was there as they walked out of the trees and into the full moonlight. He couldn't believe it, but there he was, standing right there looking at him in equal surprise.

Then, a small yet gentle smile spread over their face. "Yo, Double Dweeb," he called out, taking a few steps closer to the black-haired boy who still hadn't uttered a word.

His lips parted but nothing came out. In fear of looking like some slow fish, he closed his mouths, pursing his lips as he waved at the redhead. He turned his gaze away from the green ones that bore into him, staring intently down at the white ground.

The redhead stepped closer to him, his hands hidden in his pockets a he stopped just by him. Edd dared a glance up at him, noting that he was looking up at the stars that he had just previously been analyzing. "D-did you know that, uh, those stars y-you're gazing at are most likely long gone due to the distance a-at which they are?" He mentally slapped himself as he finished talking. _How is that the way to start a conversation with someone you haven't seen in so long? Let alone, __**him **__of all people._ Rather to his surprise, there was a loud boom of laughter from the other male. "K-Kevin…"

The redhead plopped himself down on the log next to Edd as he laughed, finishing by wiping his eyes with the tears that had begun. "Y'sure know how to bore someone, Dork." He finally calmed himself down and looked at Edd, smiling genuinely at the nerd. "But that's still pretty cool." He hunched forward and crossed his hands in front of him, focusing his gaze on his hands and the white breath that he made, an amusing smile playing on his lips.

"I would hope it is…" Edd murmured under his breath, unsure of what to say and feeling extremely awkward with the current situation. _Why Kevin of all people in the cul-de-sac? Why him?_ He sulked as he dove into his thoughts, panic streaking his eyes, being well hidden from his face itself. "H-how have you been?"

Kevin seemed pleased by the question. "I've been pretty good; I got to go to college for football, and tha's goin' pretty good."

Edd mentally cringed at his bad English. It was as if he didn't speak the language that he was raised on at all. "That's fantastic, Kevin," Edd commented, attempting no to simply be silent the entire conversation.

"What 'bout you?"

Edd looked up at him quickly, shocked by his curiosity. He looked back down at the snow and smiled at the idea of his studies. "Everything's great, I suppose. I am currently majoring in biology and working to be a transhumanist." He forced himself to look up at Kevin, discovering a puzzled set of green eyes staring at him as if he had just spoken in French to him. "Are you perhaps puzzled by the word transhumanist?" he inquired. At Kevin's nod, he explained, "well, it can be loosely defined as the integration of technology into a living organism in order to sustain life and perhaps cure many issues and diseases currently plaguing the world. It's like making a person into a cyborg," he simplified, smiling bashfully at his silly simplification of the term. It was of course, much more complicated, but he wasn't sure how much Kevin would understand what he was saying otherwise.

After a brief silence, he heard Kevin's response. "Holy shit, man… That's pretty awesome!"

A silence descended on the two, hanging in the air between them until someone spoke.

"So, I kind of realized that I made a mistake senior year," Kevin breathed, running his hand through his short hair after removing the signature baseball cap. "But if you could hear me out, y'know…" He glanced over at the small boy and smiled sheepishly. "It's cool if you don't want to talk to me either."

Edd paused, becoming rigid and concerned with the direction of the conversation. He'd tried so hard to forget about that incident with Kevin. Worked so hard to dismiss it from his mind every time he thought about the past. However, he nodded, awaiting Kevin's response.

Kevin breathed in deeply and took his time to exhale. "Cool," he sighed. "Well, alright, here's the truth. I really am sorry for back then. So sorry. I know I fucked up and probably hurt and confused you, but I didn't do that just because." Kevin began fidgeting with the hat in his hands, tracing the faded black bill with his hand. "I rehearsed this a million times an' now I can't talk. Fuck."

"Language," Edd breathed, hanging his head low.

Kevin chuckled and apologized, finally continuing on. "I did that because… I really liked you back then. I was confused by it myself considering you were a guy an' all. I thought that I liked Nazz, but then I found myself always wanting to be near you, even though I couldn't be because of our reps."

Edd hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until his lungs began to burn and he exhaled quickly, looking up at Kevin finally, still finding it hard to believe his words. Before he could say anything, however, Kevin went on.

"But the thing is, Nazz and I gave it a try and… it just didn't click the way I had always thought it would. Every time I was with her, I kept going back to thinking 'bout the Double Dork that I had fucked everything up with." He finally looked at Edd and, without any warning, he pulled the smaller boy into a tight hug. "I still feel that way about you. I still think about you all the time. And I swear, if you let me, if you give me th'chance."

Edd froze again, taking in the scent that was Kevin – a mixture of cologne, sweat and grease from always working on vehicles. It was comforting and refreshing. For a moment, he let himself melt into the hug, his hands however still refusing to come over Kevin's frame. Rather than returning the hug, he shoved his hand between the two and shook his head while doing so. "I-I…" He was at a loss for words. "K-Kevi-"

He was cut off as Kevin lightly yet fiercely kissed his lips, attempting to convey all his feelings into this one and only kiss. He took joy in the act, missing the feeling of the one lips that fit with his. But before he could deepen it, Edd pulled away, stepping up from the log they had been perched on.

"I-I really have to go, Kevin," he began stepping back from him, back into the direction of his house, his eyes stinging with the threat of tears. His mind couldn't focus anymore, he needed to get away from him. If he didn't, he was going to be sucked back into the trap that Kevin had laid out for him many months ago and end up in the same pain he had before. Before Kevin could say anything more, he turned around and ran, faster than he ever had before, knowing the athlete could easily catch up to him if he really wanted to. Much to his surprise, though, he didn't hear the sound of following steps as he reached the front door of his house. He was taken aback by the disappointment that flooded him as he rushed inside, quickly taking off his jacket to hang on a hook before rapidly climbing the stairs to his room where he laid himself down on his bed, staring up absently at the ceiling.

What was all that? Was that real or had then all been a dream? No, it was definitely real, that much he knew by the tingling his lips gave off at the yearning for Kevin's lips once more. He panted, still exhausted from the short sprint, the tears slowly spilling over his cheeks as he sat there, thinking while his head began to throb once more from the accident earlier. _Why now? Why did he have to come back now of all times? And why to do this? _Without showering or changing into proper sleep attire, he fell asleep, the mental and physical stress finally weighing him down and winning his body over.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to their respectful owners

Warning: I had someone other than my usual editor look at this chapter so I am very sorry if there's something different about it. Though the fact remains that I am so very grateful for my temporary editor coming to my rescue in my time of need! Thank you, Love!

Reviews:

: Hehe, thank you so much! I'm so happy to get such a positive and excited review from you!

Evil Ed 666: Be patient, all will come soon enough. c:

fullmoonwolf950: Right? Life would be so much simpler, I swear. But, all in good time, my dear.

Wintercat1: I'm glad you're excited and, here it is!

yess91: Well, here's another installment so you may find out!

I love all of you that have reviewed, favorited, and followed this fic! You have kept me going on writing this when I had severe writer's block! I hope that this next chapter lives up to your expectations. Enjoy!

* * *

Double D opened his eyes, wincing at the sunshine that crept its way through his window. With a groan of protest, he pulled himself out of bed, not quite getting up but sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked about his room, remembering that he was in his old one rather than the dorm room. Oh yeah, he thought, remembering that he had come to visit for his three weeks of winter break.

He went through the events of the previous day, remembering that he had slipped and hit his head. To make sure it hadn't been a dream, he began to feel around his scalp, wincing when he touched the tender spot that radiated with pain. Okay, the accident obviously was no dream, he admitted to himself. He was willing to admit that much, but the rest of the night - the night with Kevin – that, he still wasn't sure on. That much he still wished to be in denial about. However, his keen memory showed him the truth, clear as day. Kevin had come out of those trees, he had apologized, he had confessed and he had kissed him once more.

Edd traced his lips with his fingers for a moment, remembering the feeling. It was pleasant, he wouldn't deny that, but it was never to his accord. In all honesty, if Kevin had said what he had all those months ago, he probably would have given the redhead a chance. Not because he particularly felt the intensity that Kevin did, but because Kevin seemed to be oozing truth behind those words – so much so that it made Edd cringe at the mere memory of it.

After deciding that he had dwelled in his thoughts long enough, he groaned. _Shower,_ he thought, his mind now in only one place. He really felt filthy; it was beyond rare that he skipped a shower. Last night, he hadn't exactly meant to, but he was just so exhausted after his run and the shock that he couldn't bring himself to perform any more actions that required focus. As he shuddered in the memory of the exercise and the sweat that had come along with it, he hurriedly fetched some warm clothes and dashed off to the shower.

Once the water was streaming and there was an abundance of steam beginning to fill the bathroom, he got in, allowing the warm water to cascade over his tense muscles and relax him. He always enjoyed this about a shower – it always brought comfort and relaxation. His showers were the time for him to stop thinking and just feel the tension slip away and forget the outside world beyond the glass shower door.

After his long shower, he finally stepped out into the warm and steam-filled bathroom. After drying himself off, he quickly got dressed, drying his hair before putting his hat neatly upon his head. He did a few more tasks before he was completely done. With his morning routine out of the way, he made his way down the stairs and to the kitchen. He pulled out some fruit and orange juice as he looked about the empty room. As to be expected, his parents were nowhere to be found and there probably wouldn't be many chances for him to see them again until his break was over. It was a depressing thought – here he had come all this way to see his parents and his friends, yet he was here all alone in the giant kitchen of his home. At least he still had his friends to visit, even if he didn't know whether or not they were back yet.

Well, he knew Eddy was back. He had decided to wait for college. To Edd, it seemed like the guy simply didn't know what he had wanted to do with his life yet, even being eighteen already. Ed, however, had gotten a scholarship for football and was happily attending college. It had made Edd happy to see his friend whom he had never expected to, attend college and do something he truly enjoyed.

Edd finished his light breakfast and hopped out of his chair, discarding the peels and rinsing his glass out before putting it in the already-dirty dishwasher. _I should pay Eddy a visit,_ Edd concluded, figuring he would be home unless he had gone on vacation. _It's highly unlikely that he would considering the weather, however,_ Edd assured himself before grabbing his coat and slipping into his shoes, lacing them up quickly. He was smiling excitedly, anticipating the reunion with one of his best friends. He left the house, locking the door behind him and rushing to Eddy's house, avoiding the urge to look across the street to a certain someone's house. This was beginning to consume his thoughts. He tried to ignore them, he really detested thinking about the situation.

Before he could keep going in his head, he was at Eddy's door, beaming as he knocked on the door. He was greeted by none other than the person he was seeking out and responded by wrapping his arms tightly around the smaller teen. "Salutations, my good friend!"

Eddy hugged Double D back before pushing the overly-friendly teen away. "Good to see you, sockhead," he said with a wide grin. He tried to hide his joy, but he was failing miserably. It had been months since he saw him and considering they were rarely apart before Edd moved, it was a difficult transition. "Come on," he said, motioning for Edd to come inside. After taking off his shoes and coat, he quickly trailed after Eddy.

"How have you been in my absence? And Ed, is Ed here or is he perhaps still at college? Have you decided-" Double D was cut off by Eddy.

"Pipe down, will ya? One question at a time, Double D." They got to his room and Eddy plopped down on his bed while Edd took his preference to the chair rather than the filthy bed or even worse, the revolting floor. "Things have been boring as hell without you or Ed," he began, slouching his shoulders while looking at Double D.

"I apologize, Eddy. You could have called me at any time, you know." He offered a smile. "And Ed?" Double D pried.

Eddy waved a hand and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there. Hold your horses." As per the usual Eddy, he automatically continued into talking about Ed. "Lumpy's still in college till tomorrow. Might be back tonight," he added, grabbing an old soda from the table beside his bed and taking a drink.

Edd smiled at the thought of his other friend being back in only a matter of hours. It would be simply fantastic to see everyone again, together and laughing like always. "That's splendid news," he said. He watched Eddy put his soda back down. Any other time he would have cringed at the thought of drinking something that had sat overnight unprotected. However, after being in college, he learned that his friend's bad habits where nothing to be compared. "Have you thought about what you're going to do for a career, Eddy?"

Eddy seemed to grow a little upset by the question, but smiled. "Dunno. Don't think I'm going to college yet. But I guess it'd be cool to be able to say I went," he faded out. Edd knew the subject bothered him the last time they had talked about it, but he had hoped that after seven months he might have an idea by now. He seemed like the type of person to enjoy a job where he got to think and come up with ideas; something that could bring out the creativity he had possessed since childhood.

"Alright, Eddy," was all he said in response. He felt that perhaps they should move away from the subject for Eddy's sake. "Shall we do something perhaps?"

Eddy shrugged. "Like what?"

"Well, I know for a fact you still take pleasure in video games." He gestured towards the gaming console lying on an entertainment center beside a decently sized television. By the look on Eddy's face that seemed to lighten up at the idea, he knew he had picked a good choice. He had never really took part in his and Ed's gaming. It wasn't exactly his specialty. But he knew that Eddy enjoyed it and for the sake of spending time with his friend on a cold, winter day, he would make an exception for him.

After Eddy had put in a racing game and Edd moved the chair closer to the television, a silence enveloped them for a moment as the game began and they ran through the first race. Eddy laughed at Edd's loss, claiming it was ridiculous and hilarious. Edd simply smiled at him as Eddy started a second race.

The silence was broken with an actual conservation topic by Eddy. "Hey, I got a question." He wasn't looking at Edd, refused to actually. Rather, he focused all of his attention on the game. Edd was taken aback by his statement and urged him to go on. "I was wonderin' how things worked out with that person you had problems with in high school." He looked down sheepishly at the ground as Edd paused the game.

Edd had forgotten entirely that he had told Ed and Eddy about the ordeal, leaving out the fact of who it was exactly that had done it. He held his breath unintentionally, attempting to answer Eddy's question. For a moment, all he did was stare at Eddy, unable to form the words he wanted to say. After his lapse in silence, he looked down at the controller in his hands resting in his lap. "About that," he began. "You see, I saw said person only last night as a matter of fact." He peeked up at Eddy who seemed to be staring at him with surprise.

"And?" he pried.

Edd fumbled with the controller. "They, um, kissed me and," the rest was hard for him to spit out, but he managed to after a moment. His face heated up at the memory and he continued, "They confessed that they possessed romantic feelings for me." At this Eddy really was staring at him in shock. He noted that Edd had become flustered and red in the face.

"Don't tell me you like this person back, sockhead," he mumbled, running a hand over his face in disbelief.

Edd's face quickly became flush with embarrassment and panic. "No, of course not! How could you even come up with such a preposterous idea in the first place?" he exclaimed, waving his hand in exasperation, quickly growing irritated by Eddy's laughter.

"Look at you, sockhead! You're flippin' over just mentionin' it!" He laughed at Double D's annoyed expression but soon replaced it with a sly smile. "So, who's the lucky chick?"

Double D shifted uncomfortably under Eddy's penetrating, curious gaze. How in the world was he supposed to say who it was, let alone a man? Would Eddy judge him? _Of course Eddy wouldn't do such a thing, he and Ed are my dearest of friends after all. _He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He fumbled over his words, "i-it's not a woman, p-per se." He looked down, pulling his hat over his eyes to hide his apparent embarrassment, avoiding the look that he was unsure was on Eddy's face. Much to his surprise, he heard a chuckle from Eddy. However, he still wasn't sure if it was mock-laughter or not.

"So it's a dude, huh? I'm not surprised, sockhead," he responded, Edd relaxing almost every muscle in his body at once at the relief that flooded over him. Then he realized what Eddy had said.

"Wait a moment, Eddy. Are you implying that you believed I was homosexual the entire time that we have known each other?" He was nearly insulted, but at the same time relieved. He wasn't gay – at least he didn't believe himself to be – but he also wasn't quite sure; he had never had a girlfriend after all. In fact, he had never exactly been interested in the romantic portion of life; he had always been so wrapped up in his schooling and now college.

Eddy laughed. "Nah, don't get your panties in a twist. It wasn't until 'bout half way through middle school," he assured, waving his hand dismissively. He shot another sly look at Double D. "So, who is it? Don't tell me it's me. I know I'm amazing but that'd be a bit too weird," he joked, laughing at himself.

Double D shook his head in exasperation and joined his laughter. "You wish." Double D then meant to tell the truth. But how? Kevin of all people? Their childhood bully? He dismissed the concern. He had just thought the same and Eddy was completely calm about it. He took in another deep breath, this time letting it out in an exhausted sigh. The day had barely begun and he was already exhausted from this conversation. "Well, you see, Eddy," he began, working up the courage to say the rest of the sentence. This was proving to be much more difficult than he had anticipated. "Kevin. It's Kevin."

Rather than what Double D had expected, Eddy pursed his lips and hung his head low. He leaned back against the wall now, resting his head and looking up at the ceiling. He didn't speak for a while, an awkward and almost painful silence hanging between the two that Edd desperately wanted to break but was simply too terrified to. Finally, after what felt like hours, Eddy spoke. "You're shittin' me, right?"

Edd cringed at his words. They were harsh and laced with venom. He was irritated now, and Edd knew it. He had easily learned to pick up on it in his voice after the years they had spent together. He didn't speak, however. He simply shook his head, hiding his eyes with his hat once again, afraid of looking at Eddy and his fury. His words lashed once again at his guilt. "Our fuckin' bully? The guy that made our lives a living hell the entire time we were growing up?" He still continued, and with each sentence, Edd shrunk more and more into the chair, as if he could escape the entire situation. "Why him?

Edd was taken aback by the question and for a moment just paused, finally looking back at Eddy who was staring intently at him, awaiting his answer. "What?" was all he could muster.

Eddy glared at Double D. "You know what I mean, sockhead. Why that ass?" He was seriously pissed off at the situation; he felt betrayed by his friend.

"You," he stammered, quickly putting together what he wanted to say. "No, I never even claimed to possess feelings for-"

"Christ, Double D! It's written all over your damn face!" Eddy shouted in response to Double D's protest.

Double D simply froze. Was it true? Did he really feel something for the bully? _That's preposterous! How could I? _He was lost in his thoughts, debating this and quickly growing confused at the situation. Kevin was their bully, and just as Eddy had said, had made their lives a living hell. It wasn't impossible for Edd to develop feeling for the redhead, but it was highly unlikely. "I don't know," was all he whispered.

Eddy looked at Edd in disbelief. "What?" He sounded insulted, as if Edd had just talked down to him. "The hell do you mean 'I don't know'?" He was now sitting at the edge of his bed. His feet were on the floor, and he was hunched over with his arms resting on his legs, using his hands to somehow pull together what he was saying with gestures. His eyes were strictly focused on Double D, not leaving his face as he waited impatiently for an answer.

Edd looked about the room, avoiding eye-contact at first. Then, after he realized that he was not in the wrong in this situation, he stood up straight, pulling back his shoulders to present himself as confident. "That's correct, Eddy. I do not possess the knowledge that you desire. Does that place you in a predicament?" There was a hint of annoyance in his voice that anyone could easily detect, especially his best friend. "We have been friends since we were children and this is the moment when you decide that I disgust you? When there is but a _chance _that I might care for one of our childhood bullies? Just prior to this argument, you were at ease with the fact that I might be questioning my sexuality yet _this _is what draws the line, Eddy?" He was standing now, stepping closer to Eddy with each question.

Eddy cringed away more and more with each of Double D's questions, uneasy with the situation. It was rare that Double D got angry, but he had a valid point, and he knew that. However, Eddy's pride won him over. He stood up, getting just as much into Double D's face as he had gotten into Eddy's. "Y'know what, I guess so. I can forget that you're gay, a know-it-all, and all that other crap, but not liking Kevin. Not a chance, sockhead," he bit off.

Double D stiffened at Eddy's words and nodded. "Fair enough, Eddy." He began to wrap up the controller he had been playing with and set it down next to the game system as Eddy watched him in disbelief.

"What're ya doing?" Eddy asked, watching Edd's movements closely.

Edd continued to move about the room, quickly gathering the few things he had out. "I am returning back to my own home where I will be free of your judgment if that is all right with you, Eddy." With those final words, he walked out of Eddy's room and quickly made his way out of his house. He wasn't going to tolerate the criticism of Eddy. He had figured that he would be just fine with it considering he had accepted the other information in a positive manner. Evidently he had been mistaken. _That's fine,_ he assured himself. No, it wasn't how he had wanted to begin his break – with Eddy and he angry with one another – but it was better than hiding the truth from him and now knowing what he really thought. As he was walking through the cul-de-sac, he found himself being tackled by none other than his other friend.

"W-what? Where in the world-" he was cut off by a lack of oxygen to his lungs as Ed squeezed him into a vice tight grip.

"I missed you so much, Double D!" he shouted, refusing to let go of the black-haired boy as he tightened his grip.

"Breathe," he choked out. "Let go, Ed," he struggled to say, smiling through the pain. He had fully expected this moment. Ed finally released him, a large grin plastered over his face. "I missed you too, Ed! It's such a pleasure to see you once again!" He managed to say as he caught his breath. "But where did you come from?"

Ed just grinned and blatantly said, "my house."

"Well, of course, Ed," Double D responded. "Where are you headed?" Ed pointed to Eddy's house and Double D cringed. "Then I will see you some other time, Ed! Have fun with Eddy!"

Ed looked quizzically at Edd, obviously confused as to why he was not going with. "But, Double D, come with Ed! We can all watch a scary movie! There's a new one that I brought," he exclaimed, holding the case up to Edd's face.

Double D chuckled in response to Ed's excitement but shook his head, hanging it low to hide his eyes from his friend as salty tears began framing the edge of his eyes. "I apologize, Ed, but I need to go do some housework." With that, he trailed back to his own house, leaving behind a hurt and confused Ed. As he opened the door, his head still hung low as he pulled out his keys, dropping them before managing to unlock it, the tears crawled down the bridge of his nose.

* * *

Edd groaned as there was a knock on the door. He took his time rising from his bed and setting the box of tissues back on his desk. Finally, after more time than necessary had passed, he sauntered his way down the stairs, wiping away any remaining moisture from his face and quickly regaining his composure. When he reached the door, he unlocked it and slowly dragged the wood towards him. He peered out into the darkness of the night and stared for a moment. "Hello?" he called out, his response being nothing but silence. He said it one more time to make sure and after getting the same reply, sighed and brought himself to close the door and make his way back to his bedroom. He closed the door and froze at the frame as he noted something outside his window.

There, perched very simply on the tree just outside his home was none other than the last person he had wanted to see at the moment. He had been the reason that Edd and Eddy had gotten into a fight in the first place. If not for him, he most likely could have been able to spend a nice and relaxing day with his best friends – watching movies and eating popcorn like the old days.

Rather than inviting the _uninvited _guest into his room, he walked over and closed the curtain to hide the smiling face. "Your presence is not welcome here, Kevin," he shouted at the window, his voice cracking from the previous crying. Much to Edd's dismay, however, Kevin continued on with his persistence, tapping the window at an increasingly rapid rate. With a loud and frustrated groan, Edd ripped open the curtains he had just closed moments ago and opened the window. "What in the world do you want, Kevin?" Edd demanded, annoyance and anger evident in his shaking voice.

"Hey, Double Dweeb," he greeted, blatantly ignoring Edd's question as he hoped into the neat room, ignoring Edd's protests for him to get back out. "Yeah, yeah, I know you're pissed. Chill, dude. I wanted to apologize."

"Why couldn't you just wait for me at the door?" Double D protested, attempting to push Kevin out of his room and towards the door of his bedroom. Of course, he made no progress against the built figure that just stood there, smirking at all the effort the small boy was putting forth.

Kevin turned to face Edd as he finally gave up and went to sit on his own bed. "Sorry, Dork. But I kinda had to talk to you and you weren't answering your door. Plus, your light was on so I figured it was a safe bet." He gave Double D a sheepish grin and pulled the chair from his desk to turn it so that the back was facing Double D along with Kevin, straddling the chair. "Are you going to listen to me?"

Edd stared at Kevin in utter irritation. He didn't understand how someone could be so prudish. "That depends on whether or not you are going to assault me once again, Kevin." He said in what he hoped was a stern voice, his eyes holding the truth that he was simply exhausted and completely done with this conversation before it had truly began. Something Kevin could easily see.

With a small sigh, Kevin bit his lip. "Yeah, I won't. I promise." He hung his head a little bit in embarrassment before looking up. "Actually, about that, y'know, I'm sorry. I got," he paused for a moment, hating how bad he was with articulating his words at the moment. "I hadn't seen you for seven months, hadn't heard from you or anything – and that's not including the two months you completely avoided me," he said, throwing a slightly pained look in Double D's direction. This earned him a slight look of guilt that was quickly replaced.

"I never would have if you had allowed us to proceed with our studies rather than sexually assaulting me!" Edd squeaked, shocked with Kevin. "Do you have the slightest bit of comprehension of how complicated my thoughts became after your actions, Kevin?" His voice grew a little louder and Kevin cringed before interjecting.

"What, so you think I did that just to see what another guy's dick felt like?" His eyes had lowered and he was now glaring at Double D through his lashes. "'Cause believe me, that was the last thought on my mind," he muttered, his voice trailing off as he still stared at Double D.

Double D looked at Kevin for a moment, his face warming slightly at Kevin's language and the memory. He collected himself before speaking once more, afraid of yet another outburst similar to what he had with Eddy. "Then what was your reasoning? What other explanation do you have for you actions?"

Kevin gave him a knowing look, knowing he had explained already. Finally, he got up off the chair and came to sit next to him on his bed, watching at Edd cringed away from him. "I told you this last night, Edd."

Double D was taken aback by the use of his name before speaking. "Yes, you said you possessed romantic feelings for me," he responded.

"Can you just talk like a normal person?" Kevin muttered, holding his face in his hands before running them down his face and looked at Edd with a determined expression. "Do you know just how strong those feeling you're talkin' about were?" In response to Edd's shaking head he went on. "I didn't just _like_ you, I didn't just have a _crush _on you. I fuckin' _loved_ you. I hadn't even meant to."

Edd interrupted him before he could continue. "Then why didn't you ever just say that to start off with, Kevin? Instead, you," he paused, remembering his comment about his speech from earlier, "_raped_ me, thus sprouting my dislike and fear of you." He took note of the face that Kevin made as he used the unusual word for Double D's vocabulary.

Kevin nodded. "Alright, I'll give ya that one, Dork. But you have to listen." He waited for Edd's response, which turned out to be nothing but him rolling his eyes much to Kevin and his own surprise as it was an action out of character for Edd. However, he still continued. "I cared for you. A lot. When all that happened, yeah, I guess I did rape you, but I thought you felt the same." He kept eye contact with Edd the entire time, afraid of missing something in his face or his blue eyes. "I always saw you and before I knew it, my eyes followed you to the point where I looked for you – scouted for you in the hallways. Then, before I knew it, you were always on my mind and I began thinkin' 'bout our childhood and wondering if I had really hated you as a kid.

"After a lot of thought, I realized that you weren't the one I hated. It was the opposite actually. You were the cool one who I could always talk to no prob. And when I thought about talking to you, I realized I missed our conversations. I tried talking to you, but couldn't stop being that bully I had usually been to your group."

Edd stared at Kevin the entire time he spoke in utter shock. He had been so sure that Kevin hated him; he was positive that he had been nothing but a sexual experiment to satisfy his homosexual curiosity – just as he had convinced himself all these months. To hear that he loved him wasn't something he had expected, let alone something he had wanted to hear. "Kevin, please-"

"No, let me finish." He cleared his throat, breathing in deeply as if taking a break from all the words he would usually never speak in just a normal conversation. He continued after a moment, "I left off where I did because I thought I would have another chance to talk to you after the situation. You looked exhausted and I didn't want to cause you too much strain for your first time," he finished, his face now a slight crimson because of the topic. "I intended to try and get even closer to you after that. But I know I was a stupid teenager then. I know it's only been seven months, but I really had time to change and think shit over." His eyes were pleading Edd for forgiveness, for a chance to fix his mistake.

However, Edd shook his head. "I understand that now, thank you for clearing it up. But I really would have preferred you to just tell me like you are now." He pulled down on his hat once again, hiding his eyes from the redhead that wouldn't look away. His frame began to tremble and he hung his head a little lower. He was really sick of the stress and the conflict that had come with today. "I don't particularly know if I can forgive you, Kevin. I don't believe you can ever grasp just how much that threw my life into chaos." His voice was shaking and his lower lip trembling along with a lump in his throat that wouldn't s go away as much as he wished it would.

Kevin reached out for Edd, wanting to pull him into a hug as he saw the small shaking frame. He wanted to coax him into feeling better and whisper that he was sorry and that things would be alright. He had no knowledge of the fight he had just had hours ago with Eddy on top of this. Rather than pulling him into the hug that he desperately craved to do, he pulled his hand back to rest them on the edge of the bed at his sides. "I'm sorry. But I promise, I will fix this. I'll make this better," he whispered, his voice barely even audible to the boy sitting not too much farther away from him.

He watched as Edd shook his head in disbelief. But how could he blame him? He had spent the last seven months obsessing over this and trying to the best of his abilities to forget everything about Kevin.

As the tremors started, signaling that Double D was really crying now, Kevin let go of his restraint. He wrapped his arms around the small frame and pulled him to him. "I won't do anything," he assured. "Just let me hold you." Much to his delight, the boy didn't argue and simply sobbed into his chest. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm so sorry."

There was a muffled, inaudible noise before Edd spoke. "I-it's not you, p-per se," he struggled to say. "I-I fought with Eddy t-today, as well and I am con-concerned that he is truly a-an-angry with me," he choked out. He felt a tremble from Kevin that implied to Edd that he was laughing, and for a moment, he was overwhelmed with anger before Kevin spoke.

"You two have been friends since I've known y'two. You guys will be fine," he assured, running his hand up and down Edd's back to comfort him. "Here, lie down." Kevin pushed on Edd's shoulders, making him lie back on the bed despite his minor protest. Kevin, much to Edd's surprise, laid down next to him and scooped his arm underneath Edd's head, pulling him closer so that he could rest his head on his chest. "What did you guys fight about?"

There was a brief silence before Edd spoke. There was noise that escaped his lips but didn't reach Kevin's ears.

"What?"

Edd sighed. "Y-you."

Kevin looked at the top of Edd's hat-covered head in shock for a moment. "Alright, what about me?" he asked.

"Nothing," he spat out a little too quickly. But much to his relief, Kevin didn't pry and they sat there in complete silence. It was the most comfortable silence that Edd had ever experienced. "Thank you," he muttered before allowing the silence to descend once again upon the two.

A while later, Kevin leaned down to kiss the top of Edd's head, noting the rhythmic pattern that his breath had taken on that indicated he was fast asleep. "Don't sweat it, Dork," he whispered, refusing to move himself from the small frame. He finally allowed himself to fall asleep with the person he had always adored sleeping soundly, curled up next to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to their rightful owners.

Nat belongs to c2ndy2cid.

Alright, this took way longer than I had intended, but I don't plan. I just write and GO. So, the ending of this wasn't exactly something I had originally planned BUT... we'll see where it takes us. Anywho, there's quite a few reviews on that last chapter so I would like to simply say thank you to every one of you and I really appreciate your support with this fic. I know the past few chapters have been a little rough because I'm a bit of a person who loves more detail and less dialogue, but I tried to reverse that and I would love it if you could tell me what you think of it.

So, with one more apology, I give you chapter 4! Thanks so much for your bearing with me. I love you all. :)

* * *

Bleary eyed and groggy, Edd lifted himself from his bed, stretching. A yawn escaped his lips while he moved his feet to rest on the ground. He hung his head in his hands, his hat falling into them before he quickly returned it. Thoughts of the previous night flooded his mind, eliciting a sigh. Once again, he had spent time with Kevin. Although, it did seem that Kevin was much different than before. He almost seemed... gentler - more considerate.

Edd shook his head, dispelling the thought. The memory of falling asleep curled up next to him and on the muscular teen's chest flooded his mind and his cheeks warmed. He turned around to find Kevin missing. Then it occurred to him; If he's not in my bed, then did he return to his own home? There was a twitch of his lips in a frown at the thought. But he shook his head, unsure why the thought made him sad.

He finally lifted himself from his bed, grabbing a change of clothes, ready for his morning routine. Something caught him off guard, however. There was a strange smell in his home, something he definitely wasn't used to. As he took in the smell a little bit more, he realized it was the smell of something burning. With panic and worry, Edd fumbled down the stairs only to discover smoke rising from a pan and a focused Kevin attempting to stir the contents. "What on earth are you doing?!" Edd shouted, getting the other male's attention.

Kevin jumped at the loud voice and chuckled. "I'm cooking, Dork" he stated before he continued what he was doing. However, Edd was pushing him out of the way, removing the pan from the hot burner and fanning his eyes as he opened the window to the kitchen to dispel it of the smoke. Kevin stood there, looking annoyed as he watched Edd. "I knew what I was-"

This time, Edd cut him off. He pointed a finger at him, straining himself to keep his voice down. "That was not cooking. In fact, I haven't the slightest clue as to what preposterous action you were attempting. The only conclusion I can manage is that you were attempting to reduce my home to ash."

Kevin stared at him for a second before cracking a smile. "Damnit, Dork, it's impossible to get mad when you look like that." He poked his nose before chuckling at Edd's face reddening with frustration. "I was trying to cook you breakfast - figured I'd be nice." He looked at the pan that was nearly done smoking. "But you see how well that turned out."

Edd put his hands on his hips and sighed heavily, ignoring his irritated nerves. "Alright, give me twenty minutes and I'll make breakfast. Just make yourself comfortable in the living room, alright?" He shooed Kevin out before he could get an answer and quickly retreated upstairs to finish his routine. After almost twenty minutes exactly had passed, he was back downstairs and tying his apron around his waist.

"I wonder what Kevin would even like," Edd muttered to himself as he grazed over the items in the pantry. He sighed and walked out to the living room to find Kevin asleep out on the couch, the tv remote in hand. Edd smiled and walked over to him, grabbing the blanket that was draped over the chair to throw it over the slumbering male. It occurred to Edd that Kevin might have gotten up early to make breakfast. The thought made Edd happy, and he found himself smiling. Maybe he really is trying.

Edd went back to the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients needed for cheese omelettes and hashbrowns. He quickly made breakfast for the two. He was so used to the act from all the years that Ed and Eddy had come over in hopes of a homemade meal that he was done and bringing the food out in record time.

Edd held Kevin's dish on a tray along with a glass of orange juice. He set it on the coffee table in front of Kevin and gently nudged him awake, cooing his name.

Kevin blinked his eyes open, a lopsided grin forming on his lips. "Awesome way to wake up." He sat up, noticing the blanket and glancing up at Edd for a moment. His grin grew as he spotted the breakfast on the table and his eyes quickly shot up to Edd. "That for me?"

"Of course."

"Wow, dude." Kevin grabbed the plate, ready to dig in before he quickly thanked him. As he tried the food, sounds of delight escaping between bites, Edd retreated to grab his own breakfast. He returned to the living room to find Kevin still shoveling bites into his mouth and his food almost halfway gone. "Thanks, Double D."

Edd nodded and sat down, beginning on his own meal. "Am I to assume breakfast is satisfactory, then?"

Kevin gave him a dumb look. "Really?" Double D giggled again, raising his hand to cover the gap in his teeth. "Why do you do that?" Kevin asked mid-bite.

Edd looked at him dumbfounded, cringing at the sight of food in his mouth. "Do what, Kevin?"

"Cover your smile."

Edd shrugged and took another bite of his omelette before answering. "I'm not particularly sure myself. I believe it might have something to do with the gap in my teeth and my want to get rid of it."

Kevin took another bite, nearly finishing his meal. "I think it's kind of, I don't know..." he paused, looking for the word. "Cute." He shrugged.

Edd's cheeks flushed and he looked down, poking his fork at the omlette. "Oh," was all he could muster, and even that came out as more of a whisper. Kevin wasn't what he remembered him to be. He was much nicer now and he definitely had changed. But he was in his own ways still Kevin and still the guy who threw much of his last year of high school off. That was something that Edd knew he had to remember.

"That was awesome." Kevin smiled, finishing off his breakfast. "Thanks again, Dork."

Double D nodded and took one more bite of his omelette before his appetite refused any more. He looked up at Kevin and held out his hand. "Are you finished?" He stood up when Kevin handed him the plate and his now-empty glass of orange juice. While in the kitchen washing the plates, he sighed heavily. This morning was going completely different than he had envisioned. It seemed that Kevin wasn't going to go anywhere and he wasn't sure what they were supposed to do for an entire day. He walked back out to the living room, removing his apron and hanging it on a hook before doing so.

Kevin was sitting there, watching television when Edd walked in and sat in the chair once more. "Hey," he began. "Was there anything you wanted to do today?"

There was a momentary pause. "W-what?" Edd wasn't sure why the question took him off guard.

"Would you like to do something today? I know it's cold n' all, but..." he faded out when he saw Double D stand up and walk over to the entertainment center holding the television. "Whatcha doing?" Kevin got up and kneeled down next to the smaller male to find a whole collection of movies hidden in the furniture.

"Well, we could watch a movie," Edd offered. "It's too cold to really go out anywhere. I mean, we could but..." He fiddled with his thumbs as he cut himself off from speaking. He was unusually aware of Kevin's presence right behind him. He could feel the breath that was skimming his neck and ears and when Kevin actually rested his chin on Edd's shoulder, he squeaked with surprise and nearly jumped.

Kevin chuckled and draped an arm over his shoulder. "Relax, dude." Kevin stayed like that as he skimmed the movies in front of him until he launched forward, making Edd nearly tumble forward when he grabbed a box set of movies. "How about these?" he asked excitedly.

Edd giggled, bringing his hand up to his mouth again. "But those movies are all three hours long, Kevin. It would take an entire day to finish them."

"Yeah, I know." He smirked. "That's the point. I'd never have thought you would own something like Lord of the Rings, though," he shrugged. "Also, stop covering your smile, dork. Seriously." He stood up to put the movies in the DVD player before he returned to the couch, Double D soon following and taking his seat on the chair. "You can come sit over here, you know. I don't bite."

Edd shook his head in protest. "I, uh, no thank you, Kevin. This spot is just as sufficient as the couch."

Kevin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Bull. The chair is like, sideways from the TV. Look," he then scooted himself over to the other side of the couch. "I'll even stay over here."

After a moment of hesitation, Edd sighed. He realized he was never going to win an argument with Kevin and moved to sit on the other end of the couch, leaving an entire seat between the two. He began the movie, Kevin automatically engrossed in the film the moment it began. Edd smiled at how excited Kevin was and even found himself enjoying the movie as well. He was particularly engrossed in the plot-line and found himself becoming very emotionally attached to the characters. About three-quarters of the way through the movie, Eddward paused it and stood up to stretch.

"You alright?"

"Fantastic. Simply thirsty," Edd responded. "I'm going to go set some refreshments. Would you care for anything?" he offered.

Kevin stood up and stretched as well. "I'd like to remember what my muscles feel like." He followed a laughing Edd to the kitchen and they both retrieved their own separate drinks - Kevin grabbing a soda that Edd often supplied for the other Eds and Double D opting for water. A silence hung in the air for a moment. Edd finally began small talk with, "this movie is quite interesting."

"Yeah?" Kevin responded, genuinely surprised by the nerd's interest.

He nodded. "Mhmm. I think the storyline is especially interesting and the complexity of each character." He paused, formulating his thoughts. "There's Aragorn and he is in his own classification in my eyes. He seems to start out with the appearance of a common criminal, but turns out to be a key aspect in the story. And Gandalf..."

Kevin chuckled. "He's a wizard?" he guessed Edd's amusement and laughed more when he nodded, a smile playing on his lips. "Well, then let's get back to the movie, 'kay?"

They returned to the living room to finish the movie, this time the space between them much less. Occasionally their knees would touch, then quickly retreat away from one another until Edd seemed to stop minding and relaxed his leg against Kevin's.

The movie came to a close and Kevin stretched once again while Edd sat there, nearly trembling. "That was brilliant! I mean, there are so many-" he was cut off.

"Alright, Dork, calm down. There's still a second movie to get through." He got up and put in the second installment to the trilogy, returning to his seat while Eddward skipped to the start menu and began the movie.

They sat through most of the movie in the same fashion they had finished the first movie with. The only difference being that at some point Kevin had draped his arm over Edd's shoulder and, without the intent, Edd had found himself leaning into Kevin as he enjoyed the rest of the movie. When the end credits came rolling around, and Edd had yet another speech about the movie, they moved apart to exchange the movies one last time and do a refill on their refreshments and get popcorn. When they got back to the third movie and began it, Kevin once again draped an arm over Edd's shoulder to which he paid no mind to.

"You really gotta love these movies, I swear," Kevin said in the middle of one of the more mellow scenes.

There was a giggle and Edd agreed. "Yes, one must. They really are some of the best movies I've watched. Then again, I mostly indulge in documentaries rather than fan-" Edd was interrupted by a knocking on his door. Befuddled, he went to the door, Kevin pausing the movie as the smaller male went to answer it.

Eddward opened the door to come face to face with another male with teal hair, bright green pants and a larger jacket to shield himself from the cold. "Hey there, sweetcheeks."

Edd stared at the man in front of him for a moment in utter fascination. He was bold, obviously, but he was also rude. At the thought, Edd straightened his stance. "May I help you?" he asked as politely as possible until there were steps behind him that indicated Kevin was standing behind him.

"Nat, what are you doing here?" Kevin slung an arm over Edd's shoulder, sighing as Edd quickly recoiled and shrugged his arm off. "Go back to the house."

Nat grinned wide. "Aw, am I interrupting something between you and sweetcheeks here?"

Kevin groaned and ran a hand over his face whilst Edd hid under his hat to hide the creeping red. "Of course not. Why are you even here?"

The teal-haired teen shrugged and pointed inside. "Hey, sweetcheeks, can I come in? It's freezing balls out here." At Edd's reluctant nod, he quickly scurried inside, taking off his jacket and letting out a noise to express the cold. "I'm here 'cause you never came back to your place last night and I got lonely."

Edd's head shot up and he looked at Kevin. "Is he staying with you, Kevin?"

With an affirming nod in response to Double D, Kevin turned his attention back to Nat. "I got stuck here last night because of... stuff." He rubbed the back of his neck, resisting the urge to shove Nat out the door.

Nat waggled his eyebrows and winked at Double D. "Oh, I get it. Gettin' down and dirty without me, huh?"

Edd looked at him in complete horror and Nat burst into laughter while even Kevin cracked a smile. "N-no! What a p-preposterous idea!"

"Chill, dude! I'm just messing with you." Nat wiped the tear from his eye and began walking through Edd's home, disappearing into the office.

The flustered teen turned to Kevin. "What in the world is he doing here?"

Kevin shrugged. "I didn't go home last night or come home today so he was probably lonely. Not like my 'rents are home right now."

"Aw, sweet!" Nat exclaimed from the living room.

"Is he perhaps a fan of Lord of the Rings?" Edd inquired.

"Yeah, he definitely is. Ah, shit."

"Guys, hurry up!" Nat demanded.

"Is he planning on staying for the rest of the movie?"

"Most likely." Kevin sighed.

The two trudged into the living room to see Nat sitting cross-legged on the couch, the bowl of popcorn in his lap. He ushered for them to sit on either side of him and they did. Throughout most of the movie, Nat made snide comments. Most of which consisted of how the movie was almost over and that Edd and Kevin should have invited him over for the marathon.

The movie came to a close and Nat hopped off the couch. "Well, that was cool. Thanks, sweetcheeks."

Edd grumbled. "I do have a name, you know." He scowled at the teal-haired teen.

Nat's grin grew and he leaned down so that he was face-to-face with Edd, looking into his bright cyan eyes. "I'm sorry. What is it?"

Edd breathed in sharply. "It's Eddward. Or Edd. Or even Double D. But it is most certainly not 'sweetcheeks'."

Nat smirked and held up his hands in defense. "Alright, Double D. I got it. Chill."

"Thank you. Now, is your name truly Nat, or is that an abbreviation for something?" Edd asked.

The male shrugged. "It's actually Nathan. Nathan Kedd Goldberg. But you can call me whatever you like, Double Dude," he stated with a wink.

Double D cut his eyes at Nathan. Kevin laughed at the distressed Edd and finally stepped in, getting up from his spot. "Alright, man. Leave my dork alone."

Edd's head shot up at the words "my dork" and he sighed. There was no winning in this situation with the two.

"Well, since it's already eight, I think we should head out?" Kevin offered.

There was a smile that spread across Edd's lips at the words. Some peace and quiet would be the most wonderful thing at the moment. "Yes, perhaps that would be for the best."

With that, the other two men departed and Edd finally let the tension that had built up in his muscles go. "Goodness. I didn't think that a day that didn't involve Eddy nor Ed could be so distressing."

For dinner, Edd made a poor excuse for a meal that he quickly finished as he realized he hadn't had a proper lunch. After his nightly routine was done with, he hurried himself into his room, changing into his pajamas before allowing the warmth of his bed to envelop him. It had been such a long day, and to doze off into a silent and peaceful sleep seemed heavenly. However, that might have worked if his dreams hadn't been flooded with a certain redhead and the brief appearance of teal hair.


End file.
